Fetal microchimerism in maternal mouse blood and brain

Abstract

Fetal microchimerism has been found in maternal blood and solid organs. Microchimerism is observed in both diseased and healthy women. We investigated whether EGFP+ fetal mouse cells can enter the maternal peripheral blood, cross the blood-brain barrier and differentiate in maternal mouse brain. NMDA lesions triggered greater engraftment of fetal cells in maternal brain. Dopaminergic 6-OHDA lesions were used to study whether fetal cells can have functional effects on maternal behavior. Fetal cells were also observed to engraft into maternal spinal cord. Further studies are required to determine whether such spontaneous engraftment has any physiological or pathophysiological significance. Fetomaternal microchimerism provides a novel model for the experimental investigation of the properties that allow these cells to cross both the placental and blood-brain barriers and to target injured brain. Characteristics of these cells may improve selection procedure for isolation of progenitor or stem cells for brain repair by intravenous infusion.